Chapter Thirty-Five
Grant punched in a number he hadn’t used in over a year but couldn’t just sit and do nothing.
“Hey, Jack, it’s Grant. I need a favor, man.”
“Whatever you need, buddy. I’ll owe you for the rest of my life. My wife and I would have lost everything if it hadn’t been for you and your genius with money.”
“Cut that shit out. People have their identities stolen every day.”
“Yeah, but not only did you help me find the person who stole it, but you also got my money back and helped me invest it.”
“Jack, you’ve been a good friend to me. But right now, I need you to find someone and fast.”
Jack reached for a pad of paper and a pen. “Okay, go.”
Grant gave him all the information he had.
“Can I ask who she is?”
“My future wife.”
Jack choked out a laugh. “Man, I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Wait until you meet her. I’ll make sure you’re invited to the wedding. You’ll understand then. Call me the minute you know anything.”
“Okay.”
Grant paced across his kitchen, the glass from the coffee cup crunching under his boots.
He turned and walked through the house. He felt aimless for the first time since he had become an adult.
He caught a quick look at himself in a mirror by the front door and shook his head at how beaten he looked.
He threw off his clothes and stepped into the shower under a cold spray.
He washed quickly before jumping out. He hurriedly dried himself and got dressed before he started pacing again.
A dark, sickening grief filled him with despair.
Every hour that passed felt like something in his chest twisted tighter.
He had never been good at waiting for anything.
And standing back and letting other people do the job was killing him.
He kept trying her phone. He sat in a chair and willed himself to wait fifteen minutes before he tried again. He almost didn’t believe it when she answered. “Jennifer. God, baby. I’ve been so worried. Where are you? I’ll come and get you so we can talk.”
Jennifer cleared her scratchy throat. “Look, Grant.” She paused to swallow. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”
He cringed, and his heart twisted at the scratchy tone of voice that told him she’d been crying for a long time.
“Baby, please. Let’s talk. Whatever happened, we can fix.”
“I’m not ready. Maybe in a few weeks. I’m just tired right now.”
The thought of not talking to her, even for an hour, drove him crazy. A few weeks? No fucking way.
“Okay, we don’t have to talk, but let me come to you,” he pleaded with her.
“I’m going to go, Grant...” Her voice caught. “I just want you to be happy. I always knew I didn’t fit. It just took longer than I thought for you to see it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he shouted, taking a deep breath. “Baby, I’m sorry I yelled. I’m just so confused right now. Where are you?”
“Grant.” Her voice was so soft he could barely hear her. “I think you’re going to be better without me. Take care.”
“Don’t you fucking hang up. Goddammit.” He roared when he heard the click.
His grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles were white.
He had an enormous need to throw it across the room to vent some of his fury but pulled back at the last second.
If he broke his phone, she couldn’t contact him until he got a new phone.
He willed himself to calm down. “I’ll find her,” he repeated until he finally started to believe it.
He sat frozen on his couch and glanced out the big picture window that looked over a small valley.
Jennifer loved this view, and she would damn well see it again.
His body jerked when the phone rang.
“Okay. I think I’ve found her. I know where her phone is, so I assume she’s with it...”
Oh, thank God. He called the right person. “Where?” he demanded.
“She’s at a campground that has some cabins in the High Banks area.”
Grant was out the door before Jack finished his sentence.
He was in the area within an hour. He resented the fact that he had to stop for gas or take a piss. He made it to the area in record time.
“Jack, I’m here. Can you narrow the search?”
“Just within half a mile. Is there an office where you can ask?”
“Shit, I don’t know. I’ll look.”
“And man, you might want to take it down a few notches if you want information. You’re going to scare the shit out of someone.”
Grant blew out a frustrated breath. “Yeah. I’m trying.”
“Just tell yourself it’s so you can find Jennifer. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, man. You’re the best.” He put his car into gear and drove slowly along the road with the cabins until he found one that looked like an office.
Grant’s eyes scanned the stretch of coastline and small rustic cabins along the edge of the sand. He turned to open the office door when he caught a glimpse of a small figure on the beach. Her long hair blew in the cool wind, and she had a tan blanket wrapped around her.
Grant gritted his teeth. “Dammit.” He locked his car and headed in that direction. Relief flowed through him the closer he got to her. As much as he wanted to snatch her up and throw her over his shoulder, he knew he had to go slowly with her right now.
****
Jennifer
Jennifer stood and looked out over the water as the afternoon sun hit the waves, making them glow.
She hoped it would start to soothe the enormous pain tearing at her chest so she could take a normal breath.
She thought she was prepared for the pain, but it went beyond anything she thought possible.
She’d heard once that a person could die from a broken heart, but she always thought it was an old wives’ tale.
Now she understood how true it was. She wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.
Nothing in her life had hurt as much as this.
She knew instantly when Grant stepped up behind her. Warmth and sorrow and a sensation of panic bombarded her senses. A dark, sickening grief filled her heart and took her breath away.
“Jennifer. We need to talk, baby.” His voice was rough with tension.
Jennifer cringed at the stark tone of his voice. He didn’t touch her but stood close enough behind her so she could feel the heat of his body wrap around her. She started to shiver. She didn’t know if it was because of the cool weather or because he'd surprised her. “How did you find me?”
“That’s all you can say after scaring the hell out of me?” Grant bit off sharply.
“I already told you, you don’t need to worry about me,” she whispered warily. Jennifer watched through tear-filled eyes as the gray, foamy waves crashed against a pile of boulders to the left of them. It was a good representation of how beaten she felt.
A cold knot formed in his stomach at her voice’s lifeless, exhausted tone. “Then I’ll have to stop breathing because I can’t take a minute without you, because I’ll love you forever. I won’t stop until the day I die.”
A small whimper slipped out as silent tears ran down her pale cheeks. She gasped when his large arms curled around her, pulling her back against his chest and into his immense warmth. He held her like this, murmuring soft words into her ears while she wept.
“Which cabin is yours?” he asked after a short while.
She pointed behind them and to the right. She needed to get through the next few minutes, and then she could let her emotions go.